The sale of 5G smartphones finally managed to surpass the sales of the previous generation of 4G models this year. In January 2022, 5G handsets accounted for around 51 percent of all devices sold.
According to a Counterpoint Research report, China, North America, and Western Europe were the largest region that drove this growth. At the moment, China had the highest rate of 5G penetration, hitting 84 percent in January 2021. The push for 5G from Chinese telecom operators alongside brands launching new 5G handsets in competitive pricing enabled this surge. On the other hand, the North American and Western European hit 74 percent and 76 percent respectively in terms of 5G penetration.
In these two regions, Apple dominated with a market share of 30 percent in Western Europe and 50 percent in North America. This followed after the brand launched its 5G enabled iPhone 12 series. As of right now, these regions are expected to see continued growth for 5G models. Meanwhile, thanks to affordable chips from MediaTek and Qualcomm that support the newer and faster bandwidth helped grow the 5G Android smartphone market. This was especially true for the mid to high range segment between 250 to 400 US Dollars.
On the other hand, affordable chips enabled 150 to 250 US Dollars Android phones to also support 5G networking as well. The Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Latin America are now the next area of focus for OEMs that are seeking to expand their 5G offering to these regions. These are currently still dominated by 4G handsets, but will likely see a shift in the near future.
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